That’s what Vanderspool and his troops were expecting. What would actually take place was quite different. Pax was still furious about the truck that had disappeared during the Fort Howe disaster. Vanderspool swore that someone else had taken it, but Pax never believed that. The Kel-Morian was buzzing with excitement. Revenge would be sweet.
Once the maglev came to a stop, and the Confederates came out to meet it, a platoon of carefully chosen rippers would attack them. Then, having been taken by surprise, the hijackers would be slaughtered.
Later, after the battle was over, Pax would claim that a small group of Confederates had been able to escape with the crystals. Would he be promoted in the wake of such a loss? No, but he wouldn’t be punished either, because who could possibly anticipate such a daring raid?
Once the inevitable investigation was over, Pax would return to Korsy and retrieve the crystals from a hiding place that had already been prepared. Only two of the rippers knew about it, and once the treasure was safely hidden away, both of them were going to die. Later, in return for a larger cut, Errol Bennet had already agreed to spirit the treasure away.
It was a good plan—no, an excellent plan. What had been little more than a blur resolved itself into a security fence as the train continued to slow, with some globe-shaped fuel tanks beyond, and a succession of dreary buildings. The town of Korsy certainly didn’t look like much, but it was a very special place, or soon would be. The thought brought a smile to Pax’s lips.
***
Vanderspool was keyed up as the Kel-Morian train came into sight and began to slow. Everything was going according to plan, and he was about to be very wealthy. “Okay,” Vanderspool said over the scrambled command frequency. “Safeties off and stand by. And remember … take no prisoners. Over.”
There was a series of clicks as both the Heaven’s Devils and the resocialized marines acknowledged the order. The train produced a loud hissing noise as it came to a halt. Then the doors slid open, rippers surged out onto the platform, and the slaughter began.
“Bastards!” Vanderspool knew he’d been double-crossed the moment the first ripper appeared and Ward put a rocket into him. But Vanderspool wasn’t about to give up as the enemy soldier exploded and showered the platform with bloody confetti. Not with one billion credits on the line.
“Fire!” Vanderspool yelled, as he pulled the trigger on his rifle and took a series of hits. Internal alarms sounded as spikes penetrated the outer layers of his armor and sent him stumbling backward.
Two or three rippers staggered as Tychus and a resocialized marine fired a flurry of gauss spikes. The KMs’ patchwork armor held for a moment and then failed as a second volley cut them down. “Kill them!” Vanderspool shouted. “Kill all of them!”
Knowing that they’d be engaging in close quarters combat, about a third of the Kel-Morians had armed themselves with large-bore slugthrowers. The Confederate troops reeled under the impact of the Kel-Morian assault and were forced to give ground.
It could have been a rout. Would have been a rout. Except that was when Harnack stepped forward and, with no friendlies in the way, pulled the trigger on his igniter. There was a loud whump as a wave of fire washed across the oncoming rippers. Two of them began to beat at themselves in an attempt to extinguish the flames, and the rest of the KMs were unable to advance.
That was enough for the train’s engineer, who took over from the computer that normally controlled the maglev. He released the brakes, pushed the throttle forward, and the badly scorched train pulled away from the station.
That left Pax and a group of rippers standing on the platform. But not for long, as Ward fired a cluster of rockets that threw the group back and off the edge. The train was gone by then, so they fell onto the tracks below.
Vanderspool shouted “No!” as the train continued to accelerate. “Stop!” But it was too late. One billion credits’ worth of ardeon crystals were still aboard. His perfect plan had been transformed into a disaster, and odds were, Kel-Morian reinforcements were on their way, and might cut him off from the starport. For the first time in a long while, Vanderspool was truly frightened.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“In a stunning display of solidarity, representatives of the Confederacy have agreed to discuss the possibility of a ceasefire with their Kel-Morian counterparts as the first step in a process that could lead to peace talks.”
THE TOWN OF KORSY, ON THE PLANET TURAXIS II
Vanderspool’s mind was racing. It was difficult to part with the crystals, and the imaginary lifestyle he had created for himself, but Vanderspool was a realist. As such he knew how important it was to switch gears and recover as smoothly as he could.
He needed to get to the starport before KM reinforcements could arrive—but first there were the Heaven’s Devils to deal with. Having lost a significant number of marines, he was no longer confident of his ability to take the misfits prisoner, so resocialization was out. The obvious solution was to kill them. And thanks to his foresight that would be easy.
So as Vanderspool turned away from the track and toward the troops on the platform, he brought out the special remote and pointed it at Tychus. There was only one button, and it was large enough to accommodate a massive thumb. Vanderspool pressed it and saw the indicator light glow green as all of the pre-equipped suits froze up.
That’s how it was supposed to work at any rate, except that Tychus grinned evilly and shook his head in mock sympathy. His visor was open. “What’s the problem, Colonel? Did something go wrong with your new toy?”
Vanderspool swore. Tychus knew about the kill switches! But that didn’t matter, because the colonel had a backup plan. He made eye contact with Fitz, who threw an arm around Cassidy’s chest as a corporal aimed a handgun at her face. She was wearing armor, but the pistol was only inches away, and would do the job.
Tychus, who was in the process of bringing his gauss rifle up, paused. Vanderspool smiled thinly. “So,” he said harshly. “There is honor among thieves. But, just in case you have second thoughts about how valuable Doc Cassidy is to you, take a look around.”
The Heaven’s Devils and several members of the second squad had their backs to the door and were half-ringed by marines. That meant the resocs could fire without hitting one another—and that implied that the whole thing had been planned in advance. But why? Unless Vanderspool knew about the plan …
Vanderspool saw the look on Tychus’s face and laughed. “Oh, my! If only you could see your expression right now! That’s right, Sergeant Findlay… . Petty Officer Cassidy loves crab more than she loves you!”
Tychus stood stock-still for two agonizing seconds. Then, with a roar, he brought his rifle up and fired at Cassidy. But the spike went wide as Raynor jerked his friend back toward the door and shouted, “Light ’em up, Hank!”
Harnack pulled the trigger on his igniter and swept the flamethrower from left to right. That created a wall of flames that not only prevented the marines from advancing but made it difficult to see. They fired, but not very effectively, as the Devils backed out through the door. Harnack was the last one out, but even after he was clear Tychus continued to shoot through the opening, until Raynor shouted his name. Then, firing short, controlled bursts, he backed his way out to where the vehicles were waiting.